WHAT'S DOING IN; Baltimore

H. L. Mencken, that old charmer, dubbed his hometown "Charm City." And in this, at least, he was right. Baltimore is lousy with history and nice views of the Chesapeake, of course. But if you are a fan of diners, John Waters movies, Edgar Allan Poe and Elvis (who's inexplicably big here), you might think this is the hippest city in America. And surely the only one with a nine-foot bronze statue of Billie Holiday.

Baltimore definitely does not inspire that just-got-off-the-Interstate-and-could-be-anywhere state of mind. French fries drenched in gravy are a local specialty, as is calling people "hon," as in "More fries, hon?" Last year, a hon enthusiast who came to be known as Hon Man repeatedly spray-painted the sign at the edge of the city, which said "Welcome to Baltimore, Hon" after he got through with it. He was invited to meet the mayor.

The Ouija board was invented here, and downtown landmarks include a knockoff of Florence's Palazzo Vecchio, known locally as the Bromo Seltzer tower because its builder made the stuff. A point of enormous, if perverse, civic pride is the 19th-century marriage of a local girl named Betsy Patterson to Napoleon's younger brother, Jerome. (After a honeymoon trip to Niagara Falls, the junior Mr. Bonaparte abandoned his bride in favor of a European princess and the crown of Westphalia, a kingdom created to give him a job.)

But Baltimore is not only quirky; it's also complicated, both blue collar and blue blood. And while many visitors make a beeline for the Inner Harbor and Harborplace, a perfectly pleasant shopping and eating center, the city's real charm is in its less exposed corners -- neighborhoods like Stone Hill, an enclave of low-built stone cottages that once housed workers in the cotton mills, or upscale Homeland, where the writer Anne Tyler lives, and nearby Roland Park, where many of her odd and old-moneyed characters reside. Events

Fireworks choreographed to music at 9:30 P.M. will cap the four-day Fourth of July Spectacular at Harborplace, featuring daily concerts and street performers. Events start at 11 each morning. Admission free. Information: (800) 282-6632 or (410) 837-4636.

On the first Thursday of every month, up to a dozen downtown art galleries hold a reception, with strolling musicians along the Charles Street Corridor and free concerts. The galleries stay open late -- until at least 7:30 -- as do the shops in the area. For information, call (410) 244-1030.

Another salute to the arts suited to strollers, Artscape '95, is set for July 21 to 23. The festival of the literary, performing and visual arts, with activities for children, celebrity readers and indoor and outdoor exhibitions, will take place at the Mount Royal Cultural Center, an 11-block stretch of Mount Royal Avenue north of downtown. Free admission. Hours are 6 to 10:30 P.M. July 21 and noon to 10:30 P.M. July 22 and 23. Call (410) 396-4575.

Like any large city, Baltimore has its share of ethnic enclaves, many with their own festivals. From Aug. 18 to 20, the German Festival -- with food, music and crafts -- will take place from noon to 10 P.M. in Carroll Park, Washington Boulevard and Monroe Street. Admission $2. Call (410) 366-8905. Sightseeing

Go ahead. Start with Harborplace, two waterfront glass pavilions with stores and restaurants, and the National Aquarium, at Pier 3, 501 East Pratt Street on the Inner Harbor, which just reopened its shark exhibit, featuring sand tigers, nurse sharks and lemon sharks circling inside a 225,000-gallon, ring-shaped tank. The aquarium also offers a dolphin show, a seal pool and a re-creation of a South American rain forest under a glass pyramid. The aquarium is open daily in July and August from 9 A.M. to 6 P.M. Sunday to Thursday and 9 A.M. to 8 P.M. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $11.50; $7.50 ages 3 to 11. Information: (410) 576-3800.

The nearby neighborhood of Fells Point, with its cobblestone streets and row houses with marble stoops, some of them dating from the late 18th century, is worth a look. If you keep walking toward the water past the vintage clothing and antiques shops along Broadway, you'll wind up on Brown's Wharf. This is where Meg Ryan, playing a Baltimore newsgal whose editor told her to go ahead and expense that cross-country trip in search of true love in "Sleepless in Seattle," sat down to have a cry and mull over her life.

And just down the street, at 1727 Thames Street (which around here is pronounced just the way it looks -- they didn't fight the War of 1812 for nothing), you can stop for an espresso at the Daily Grind, a coffee bar frequented both by neighborhood types and by the cast and crew from the television show "Homicide," which is shot across the street in a cavernous former recreation center that serves as the show's police headquarters.

If you still have any feeling left for baseball at all, you will want to see the Orioles play at the new, old-looking Camden Yards at 333 West Camden Street, on the site where a saloon owned by Babe Ruth's dad once stood. The Orioles play the Kansas City Royals July 13 to 16, the Texas Rangers July 25 to 27. Call (800) 551-7328 for tickets, which cost $5 to $25.

Or spend the afternoon at Pimlico, where the Preakness Stakes is run each May. That's the only time they sing "Maryland, My Maryland" and serve those foul-tasting black-eyed Susans, a concoction involving vodka and peach schnapps. But when the horses run again, from July 25 to Aug. 25 and Sept. 5 to Oct. 2, the place will be just as seedy, rundown and delightful. The track is at 5200 Park Heights Avenue. Admission is $3 to $7. Call (410) 542-9400 for post times.

Visitors who have cars should enjoy driving around neighborhoods like Bolton Hill, between Howard Street and North Avenue and Mount Royal Avenue and Eutaw Street, where F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald once lived, and Charles Street north from the Inner Harbor to Johns Hopkins University. Stop in Federal Hill for a pit beef sandwich, a local version of barbecue, cooked and served by street vendors, and browse Antique Row, in the 700-800 block of North Howard Street and the 200 block of West Read Street.

An error has occurred. Please try again later.

You are already subscribed to this email.

The H. L. Mencken House and gardens at 1524 Hollins Street in Union Square contains original furnishings arranged according to photographs taken a few years before the writer's death, in 1956. It is open on weekends only: 10 A.M. to 5 P.M. Admission is $2 for adults and $1.50 for seniors and children 4 through 18. Information: (410) 396-3523.

If you plan to visit the grave of Poe, who died here in 1849, go at twilight, when the fireflies are out but the quaint inscriptions on the 19th-century tombstones are still visible in the Westminster Churchyard at Fayette and Greene Streets. The stone marking the resting place of Fanny H. Peachey (1799-1822), for example, declares that the "amiable qualities of this interesting female were such as endeared her to all who knew her" and "left ample reason to believe that she has ascended to the bright realms of bliss." Poe is buried next to his wife, Virginia, who was his first cousin, and his mother-in-law, who was his aunt.

From there, you don't have far to go to the Southway Bowling Lanes at the corner of Charles and Hamburg Streets, where you can try duckpin bowling, a locally popular version of the sport in which smaller balls are tossed in the direction of tiny pins. At Southway, which opened in 1931 and happily hasn't updated much since, Friday nights feature Rock and Bowl, with D.J., line dancing and all you can bowl for $7. Other nights, it's $2 a game plus $1 for shoes. Summer hours are noon to 5:30 P.M. Monday and Tuesday; until 10 P.M. Wednesday; until midnight Friday; closed Thursday and weekends. Call (410) 752-2867. Where to Eat

Let's start with those famous diners and work our way up, if that's the way you look at it. Cafe Hon, at 1009 West 36th Street, (410) 243-1230, serves all manner of comfort food and a great hot fudge sundae. Dinner for two immoderate people is about $20. The place is expanding and moving across the street from its current location in August.

The Hollywood Diner, at 400 East Saratoga Street, (410) 962-5379, is where parts of both "Diner" and "Sleepless" were shot. And Jimmy's, at 801 South Broadway in Fells Point, (410) 327-3273, is a neighborhood favorite.

Upmarket from there and absolutely mandatory are the crab restaurants. One good choice is Glenmore Gardens at 4813 Belair Road, (410) 488-2366, where dinner is served in the garden and crabs by the dozen are heaved onto paper tablecloths. Dinner for two, with drinks, runs about $50.

At Donna's at the Baltimore Museum of Art, 10 Art Museum Drive, (410) 467-3600, you can enjoy cornmeal-fried oysters, crab ravioli or brasiola in a minimalist setting, overlooking the museum's sculpture garden. Dinner for two with drinks is about $75.

If you're looking for a steak in this seafood-crazy town, head for McCafferty's at 1501 Sulgrave Avenue, (410) 664-2200, a beef restaurant that grows its own on a Montana ranch. Owned by Don McCafferty, the son of the coach of the team that was the Baltimore Colts before it left town for Indianapolis under cover of darkness, the place has an impressive sports memorabilia collection, a piano bar Tuesday through Saturday and dancing to a big-band orchestra on Sunday nights. Dinner for two with drinks: about $100. Where to Stay

There are several lovely inns in Fells Point, where a shipyard was established in the 1700's and America's first warship, the Constellation, was built before the Revolutionary War. The area was the first in the country to be named a National Historic District, some 20 years ago.

One popular place to stay is Celie's Waterfront Bed and Breakfast, built in 1990, at 1714 Thames Street, (410) 522-2323, (800) 432-0184, fax (410) 522-2324. The seven guest rooms furnished with antiques and fresh-cut flowers overlook the garden, an atrium or the harbor; some have fireplaces, whirlpool tubs and private balconies. Rates range from $90 to $140 for a single, $100 to $160 for a double, including a hearty Continental breakfast.

Budget: Relatively low-cost lodging is available in modern high-rise apartment buildings that rent out guest rooms. The Carlyle, at 500 West University Parkway, (410) 889-4500, rents nine rooms for $56 a day, and three rooms with kitchenettes at $72.80. Another option is the Broadview Apartments, 116 West University Parkway, (410) 243-1216, which rents 11 rooms at $50 for a single, $54 for a double. All have private bath, maid service and standard modern decor.